Black Diamond (Stark Springs, #1)

by Ali Dean

[Sam@WLABB]

I am such a fan of the Pepper Jones books, and was excited to read more of Dean's work. In Black Diamond, Dean introduces us to Stark Academy. Stark is a winter sports academy, where only the cream of the crop survive. Our heroine, Roxie is a latecomer to the academy and on scholarship. These are not the only characteristics that set her apart at Stark, as she is one of the few fall under the spell of Ryker Black.

Things I liked
-I really liked the sports angle. I loved that in the Pepper books, and I love it here.
-I liked Roxie. I thought she had a lot of fire, and I loved when she focused it to accomplish a goal.
-I liked the soapy drama. This one had some real over-the-top stuff, and sometimes that stuff is fun to read.
-There were some great moments between Ryker and Roxie. There were a lot of aggravating moments, but there were good ones too, and I liked the ending a lot.

Overall: A promising start to a new series that pulled me into the wonderful world of winter sports.